In the new issue of Regulation, economist Pierre Lemieux argues that the recent oil price decline is at least partly the result of increased supply from the extraction of shale oil. The increased supply allows the economy to produce more goods, which benefits some people, if not all of them. Thus, contrary to some commentary in the press, cheaper oil prices cannot harm the economy as a whole.

Two long wars, chronic deficits, the financial crisis, the costly drug war, the growth of executive power under Presidents Bush and Obama, and the revelations about NSA abuses, have given rise to a growing libertarian movement in our country – with a greater focus on individual liberty and less government power. David Boaz’s newly released The Libertarian Mind is a comprehensive guide to the history, philosophy, and growth of the libertarian movement, with incisive analyses of today’s most pressing issues and policies.

Search form

America & Soccer

The “Lexington” column in this week’s Economist features a now-standard riff about how curious and revealing it is that America eschews the world’s pastime. The twist: The world resents the hell out of us for this.

But would “the world” really be happier if America took this game seriously and, as a consequence, cut through their footballers like a hot knife through butter? I doubt it. The only way to make “the world” happy would be if we cared a lot about soccer and lost a lot at soccer. Anything else would simply feed the insatiable anti-America hate machine.